The Law Society of Upper Canada is urging the government of Turkey to comply with its obligations under international human rights laws.
It is reported that 2,754 judges and prosecutors have been suspended by the Turkish High Council of Judges and Prosecutors. And 755 judges and prosecutors have been detained.
Paul Schabas, head of the LSUC, which is the governing body for more than 50,000 lawyers and 8,000 paralegals in Ontario, says “these are extraordinary numbers of lawyers and judges that are being affected by the actions of the Prime Minister.” One fifth of the judiciary, in the country of almost 80 million is no longer working or practising, They have just disappeared.
ListenThe Society is strongly urging the Turkish government to honour international conventions and covenants including the United Nations Basic Principles on both the “Independence of the Judiciary” and the “Role of Lawyers”. They want the suspensions lifted and the detained freed, and to have access to due process.
Today we’re hearing Amnesty International draw attention to reports of the abuse and torture of detainees in Turkey. All this as the call goes out to arrest 42 journalists and 31 more academics, suspected of having participated in the coup attempt that took place on Friday July 15th, 2016.
It is reported now that over 60,000 people have been detained in this far-reaching crackdown. Many Turkish- Canadians are concerned about family and friends in their native country.
There are reports now that a Turkish-Canadian Imam, Davud Hanci of Calgary, Alberta, is being held by the Turkish government for his alleged connection to the coup attempt, as the so-called right hand man of Fethullah Gullen, a Turkish cleric now living in Pennsylvania,
Gullen, was once an ally of Erdogan’s, but is now percieved as an arch rival, who has encouraged the move to the religious right in Turkey while living in exile.
Over the weekend, the financial leaders of the World’s G20 countries, met in Chengdu, China, to discuss the current risks to the global financial system, including the Bexit vote in England earlier this month.
Turkey was looking for support with an endorsement for its actions in the wake of the coup attempt, from those gathered at the G20 meeting, but none was issued. The Turkish government issued a state of emergency on July 20th, 2016, and is now considering re-instating the death penalty for those involved in the coup.
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